YOUR VIEW: Attleboro rail routes should be scrapped

HEATHER A. GRAF

Wednesday

Feb 25, 2009 at 12:01 AM

This is in response to Joe Cohen's Feb. 20 article, "Opponents rail out against commuter line." His report refers to a press release from Kyla Bennett (an Easton resident representing the group PEER), which attacks the South Coast Rail Project. Ms. Bennett is an outspoken opponent of the proposed extension of the Stoughton route for commuter rail service between New Bedford/Fall River and Boston.

This is in response to Joe Cohen's Feb. 20 article, "Opponents rail out against commuter line." His report refers to a press release from Kyla Bennett (an Easton resident representing the group PEER), which attacks the South Coast Rail Project. Ms. Bennett is an outspoken opponent of the proposed extension of the Stoughton route for commuter rail service between New Bedford/Fall River and Boston.

The enhanced bus option, which the PEER group favors, does not meet the "Project Purpose," is unacceptable to the SouthCoast, and has also been rejected by Gov. Deval Patrick. According to the article, if commuter rail service is to be provided at all, Ms. Bennett would prefer the Middleboro alternative.

Of the two options proposed for the Middleboro route, one, named the "Middleboro Simple," would not provide a level of service necessary to justify the project. The other, called the "Middleboro Full," would require relocating 4.5 miles of Red Line track in the Braintree/Quincy-to-Boston area, and construction of a 1.3-mile tunnel under the existing Quincy Center Station. Tunneling under the city of Quincy is not going to happen.

The Executive Office of Transportation (the project proponent) has recommended, based on findings in the November 2008 environmental notification form, that all of the Attleboro alternatives, as well as the Middleboro Full, be eliminated from further consideration.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken the rather bizarre position that all 10 of the alternatives should advance for full/in-depth environmental review. This recommendation, if followed, would likely doom the project.

The Attleboro alternatives were rejected by EOT because there would need to be a third rail built the entire length (20 miles) of track along the busiest of all lines between Attleboro and Boston (the Northeast Corridor/Shore Line which serves existing freight traffic, MBTA commuter, as well as Amtrak high-speed and Acela trains). This third rail construction, which would involve: reconstruction of 22 bridges, three train stations, realignment of a major artery, and "plow through" residential, commercial and industrially developed areas in Mansfield, Foxboro, Sharon, Canton, Westwood, Dedham and the Readville section of Boston, is not simply "cumbersome, too time consuming or cost prohibitive," it is unfathomable.

Citizens Concerned About Tracks, the regional coalition founded in 1995 (to represent the communities of Norton, Attleboro, Mansfield and Taunton) supports the reestablishment of commuter rail service to the cities of Taunton, New Bedford and Fall River. We agree with your Feb. 19 editorial ("Stoughton it is") that the Stoughton alternative offers the best option to accomplish this goal.

As coordinator of CCATS I do speak for the organization, but it has never been a secret that my home is a little less than one mile from the proposed "Attleboro bypass," a 2.55-mile segment of new double track which would need to be built (where no rail bed has ever existed) for New Bedford/Fall River trains to use the Attleboro route. Property owners in this area had no reason to believe they would ever see a rail line near their homes. But the impacts on Norton and Attleboro pale compared with the effect of 15 at-grade crossings in Taunton Center, which would bisect that city. Use of the Attleboro alternative for New Bedford/Fall River trains would cripple Taunton, which with the Stoughton route hopes to become a gateway to the SouthCoast.

For more information, go to: www.southcoastrail.com and www.ccats.org.

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